Some Walls Must Fall
by StrawberryStetson
Summary: Pulling a double can be murder on your body, but missing your best friend can be murder on the heart. PicardCrusher


Some Walls Must Fall

"If there's any hope for love at all, some walls must fall..."

Peter, Paul and Mary

His bed never felt so good. The exhaustion was overwhelming. Captain Jean-Luc Picard had walked into his quarters and for the first time did something he had never done, even as a boy. He removed his uniform down to his undershorts and threw them on the floor in his room.

His first officer Will Riker had taken 2 weeks of shore leave to go to Risa. He often did this for his birthday, but this year he took Deanna Troi with him. It was becoming obvious to everyone, including innocent Data, that they were reigniting an old flame. The Captain therefore, had taken to pulling double shifts, during that time. It wasn't that Data was incapable of running the bridge at night, but Picard had been feeling lonely as of late and it felt good to have people to talk to.

As exhausted as he was, and as comfortable as his bed was, sleep eluded him. His mind drifted to Beverly Crusher and he knew instantly why he had been feeling lonely.

Right after Will had gone to Risa, Dr. Crusher had been summoned back to Star Fleet Medical. There had been an outbreak of Gorian Plague and Beverly was needed to help get the outbreak under control. But even with the admiration he had for her duty, he could not help but feel a little bitter at his loneliness. He looked forward to her late night visits, and breakfast with her. She had only contacted him once since she had left and it was strictly professional.

The only comfort he had was that Riker had returned to the Enterprise. He would be back on duty the following day, and after Deanna had seen the fatigue in his eyes, she persuaded him to take a couple days off. Another first was the fact that she didn't have to pursuade that hard. So he made up his mind to spend time on the holodeck. There was a new Dixon Hill adventure he was eager to engage in.

Smiling at the thought of seeing Cordelia again, he finally fell into a peaceful slumber. Somewhere in the night he dreamed about chasing after the Borg and riding the universe of them for good.

He awoke to see a dim light coming from the drawing room. He grabbed the phaser from his nightstand drawer and crept to the door. Normally he wouldn't be so cautious but after his kidnap by the Borg, he always went prepared.

Quietly he peeked around the corner and his eyes fell upon a big surprise.

"Beverly?"

"Good Afternoon Jean-Luc."

"Afternoon?" He was puzzled sure he had not been asleep that long.

"Yes, it is after 1:30pm."

"It must have taken longer than I expected to save the Universe from the Borg." He said this half muttering to himself.

"The Borg?"

"Forget it, just a silly dream. So, I didn't expect you back this soon. I must say I nearly stunned you with my phaser, but it was I that was stunned instead."

Her smile was worth all the exhaustion in the world. He tried to pretend he was only interested on a professional level but she had seen right through it.

She became lost in thought and there was a long moment of silence.

"We created enough antigens to control the plague and Dr. Polaski said I could return to the ship."

This was only half the truth. It was true that the antigen was beginning to control the plague and that Polaski had sent her back but the part that wasn't true was that she was returning to duty. Her friend and collegue Dr. Polaski had caught her a few times calling one of her patients Jean-Luc. The man was bald and built similar to the Captain and therefore the gesture came naturally.

She confided to Dr. Polaski that she had missed Picard and that she could not stop thinking about what he was doing and how he was getting on without her. When the plague antigen was complete, Polaski brought in a crew of medical students to help adminster the drug. And though she would miss her friend, the elder doctor sent her back to the arms of her Captain.

"Beverly? Are you all right?"

She hadn't realized she had zoned out and he had been talking to her.

"Yes fine, I made lunch, shall we eat?"

"By all means"

The lunch was satisfying and each one took time to fill in the other of their last two weeks. Both realized as they were talking that the pain of being apart had been unbearable, but neither one admitted to it.

"Well, I promised Deanna I would stop by and see how her trip to Risa went."

"I think it was shall we say productive? I have never seen my first officer smile as much as he did last night when he returned."

"I can't wait to hear all the details."

"Doctor, really? I am surprised at you"

"Well us women always want to hear the passionate details of our friend's love lives."

As soon as she said it she regretted every word. She had to get out of his quarters. He rose as she did, and for a moment they just looked at each other. Then he spoke.

"Will you have dinner with me, here tonight at 1900 hours?"

"Y-y-yes"

She stammered the reply then shot out the door before he could say anything further. He was ecstatic. He decided to shower and then off to the holodeck. Life couldn't be better!

The day was exhilerating, Dixon Hill had nabbed the villains. Cordelia had left lipstick kisses all over his face, and now he was on his way to having dinner with Beverly. Picard hated to admit it but he was beginning to like having time off.

He arrived in his quarters and checked the time. Great he had two hours till her arrival. He quickly undressed, assuring himself that he had put everything away as it should be. Then he made his way to the shower. As the hot water poured over his skin, he thought about the comment she had made about women wanting to know intimate details of their friend's lives. He began to wonder if he and Beverly became intimate if Beverly and Deanna would sit in Ten-Forward comparing him and his first officer.

He suddenly found himself looking down at his manhood. A smile crept across his lips. Well he hadn't ever had complaints before. He thought about Beverly's hands carressing him and he became aroused. Before he could go any farther he turned off the shower and forced himself to get dressed quickly. He was a little embarressed at his reaction to the very thought of her, but soon dismissed it as being a male with hormones that were very much alive.

At seven o'clock his door chimed, and he answered it with his typical response.

"Come"

She looked radiant in her pale blue dress. What impressed him further was the fact that her shoulders were bare, and that the dress was not floor length. He tried to pretend that it did not matter but he could not will himself to take his eyes from her shoulders.

Beverly felt a great feeling of triumph. She took great pleasure in the fact that the good Captain couldn't take his eyes off her. It was a risk she had told herself, but in the end she decided to be bold.

When he finally came back to his senses, he pulled out her chair at the table, and poured her some of his vintage wine.

Dinner was pleasant enough, they discussed the events of the day. He telling her of the Dixon Hill adventure (leaving out Cordelia of course), and she told of Ensign Jameson breaking his arm, chasing Data's cat Spot out of engineering.

When they had finished they moved to the couch. Neither one wanting to part from the other's company. But soon everything became quiet as they slipped into their own thoughts. The uncomfortableness became unbearable. Beverly decided she wasn't brave enough to come and do what she had intended, so she decided to go back to her quarters.

"Well Jean-Luc I want to thank you for a lovely evening."

She stood up to go and he rose with her. As she began to walk to the door, emotion overcame him and he simply acted on it without thinking.

"Beverly, stay with me tonight." His voice a meer whisper.

She wasn't sure she had heard him right, but when she looked into his eyes, there was no doubt she had. Beverly fully intended to smile and walk out but a force overtook her as well. The only thing she could think of that seemed normal in this maddness came from her mouth.

"But I have nothing to sleep in."

If there was ever a time in her life that she had felt foolish, it was right then. She wanted to get out of there, and quickly. So she acted on impulse, she ran out the door. She ran down the hall to her quarters, not stopping until she had reached the safety of her bed.

At that moment she hated herself. He had finally let down the walls, and through no coaxing of her own, he had asked her to stay. She laid facing the window and the stars outside. There was a picture on her nightstand of her, Jack, and Wesley when he was three. But she didn't want to see Jack's smiling face right now. It wasn't that she felt guilty, it was that her heart had finally been freed from his memory and she didn't want to hurt over both men. Carefully, she reached out and put the picture in her drawer.

Her tears overwhelmed her before she could hold them back. And then there was a hand that brushed her cheek. She turned to see the eyes of the man she had loved for so long.

"Jean-L-"

He put his finger to her lips to silence her. Then moving slowly he leaned in to kiss her soft lips. The kiss lasted only a moment but it seemed they lived a lifetime in that moment.

When he pulled back she continued to look at him. Not even sure she was seeing him. After what seemed an eternity, she pulled him back down, their kiss growing longer and more passionate, but built all on the love that had been held back for so long.

She pulled back and touched his face.

"Jean-Luc, make love to me, here, tonight."

"Beverly, I've been making love to you all my life. I want to show you what I feel physically but I want to hold you. Make it all right."

He kissed her again. Took her hand and led her back to his quarters. When she had left he had told Riker that he was not to be disturbed unless absolutely urgent. He had also removed the trace from the computer on Beverly so she wouldn't be caused any embarressment. When they walked into his quarters, he led her to the bedroom. There on the bed was a beautifully wrapped box with a red top and a white bow.

"Open it Beverly."

She let go of his hand and walked to the bed. When she opened the package she was uncertain of what it was at first. But when she removed it from the box, she found it to be a nightgown. It was made of the softest silk. A beautiful silver gown that flowed from the bodice. She turned to look at him.

"Jean-Luc it is the most beautiful gown I have ever owned, and it is a shame that no one will see it, since it is for sleeping."

He moved closer to her.

"Beverly, I have anticipated this moment for decades. And I wanted to make you comfortable. You left tonight before I could show you this. But I knew I couldn't spend another night alone in my bed. I want to see you in this gown, not just tonight. And when it is time, I want to remove this gown from your body and feel the softness of your skin."

She had never felt so high in her life. She excused herself from his presence and went to the bathroom to change. It fit her perfectly. It felt so good upon her skin and came a quarter inch below her knees. Beverly wondered to herself how he had known how to pick something so right.

When she emerged from the bathroom, his breath was taken away. She was a goddess in her own right. He wanted so much for tonight to be the night, but he knew that he had to take it slow for both of them. He walked to her, ran his hands down the length of the silk on her arms, then wrapped her arms around his neck. And with that kiss came the promise of a future. It was a long time before either of them could fall asleep. Both wanting to be sure it was real, but wanting the night to stop. But in his arms, Beverly finally felt his promise.


End file.
